Desk-cover.



Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

KATHERINE R. MOULTON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

DESK-COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,040, dated March 29, 1904.

Application filed September ll, 1903. Serial No. 172,726. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom fr? may concern:

Desk-Covers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, vlike numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to desk-covers, and especially to covers for school-desks; and the object of the invention is to provide a novel cover which When applied to the top of a chol-desk will make a' clean surface to the es r.

The tops or lids of school-desks are commonly made of wood, and after some use they become more lor less dirty, especially if the pupil occupying the desk is not neat. Owing to the color and material of the desk-tops, the dirty condition of them is not particularly noticeable, and as a consequence the tops of most school-desks are in such a condition that they soil very quickly the clothes of the pupil occupying them, especially the sleeves. It is to obviate this dificulty that I have made my present invention, which comprises a deskcover adapted to be applied to the top of any desk and which has a washable surface, preferably of somelight color. Since the cover has a lightcolor, it shows thedirt very plainly, and thus stimulates the pupil to efforts to keep the desk clean. The washable surface is such that it can be readily cleaned by merely washing with a'damp cloth. The cover is made detachable from the desk, so that it is possible for each pupil to own his or her own cover and use it on any desk to which he or she is 3 is a sectionon the line y, Fig. 1.

The desk 3 may be of any suitable or usual construction. In this form of my invention my desk-cover comprises two parts 5 and 6, which are hinged together, the part 5 being lixedly secured to a lixed portion of the desk, so that the part 6 will lie over and cover the slanting portion of the desk.

*Where my invention is applied to a desk having a hinged lid, as 4, the hinged connection between the two parts of the cover will preferably be made to coincide with the hinged connection between the lid 4 and the fixed portion.7 of the desk-top, though this arrangement is not absolutely essential to my invention. I preferably give the portion 5 of the cover such a size and shape that it will extend from the usual pencil-groove 8, which it leaves uncovered, forward sufficiently to cover the flat portion 7 of the desk, and if the desk has an ink-well 8 the portion 5- will preferably be provided with an aperture 9 directly over the ink-well to provide access thereto. The xed portion 5 of the cover will be secured to the desk in any suitable way. As herein illustrated, I secure to the under side of said portion at each end thereof attaching-tabs 10, which are adapted to be folded around the edge of the portion 7 of the desk and secured thereto, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. These tabs are herein shown as having eyelets 11 therein, which are buttoned over projections, such as tacks or screws 12. To strengthen the cover, I prefer 4to make the tabs 10 part of a tape 14, which extends clear across the cover and which is glued or otherwise secured to the under side of the portion 5. The tabs 10 may be either elastic or nonelastic, although I prefer to use elastic tabs, which can be stretched slightly in order to better button the eyelets over the tacks 12 when the cover is being applied to the desk. The hinged connection between the portions 5 and 6 is herein illustrated as being formed by a strip 16, of fibrous material, which extends clear across the cover along the meeting edges of the parts 5 and 6 and which is glued or otherwise permanently secured to each of said portions.

I prefer to make the covers of some light but stijf material in sheet form-such, for instance,

as cardboard, leather-board, te-and to give i the cover a washable surface I propose to varnish or otherwise treat the Lipper surface thereof, so as to make it waterproof.

The upper surface ofthe cover is preferably of some light colorwsuch as White, light yellow, or cream color which readily shows the dirt.

The' advantages of my improved cover are that it can be readily cleaned by merely Washing with a damp cloth, and thus the working surface of the' desk can be kept clean very much easier than the wooden top of the desk can be. Since the cover is detachable, it can be owned by the pupil using it, and whenever any pupil changes desks she can take with her her own desk-cover, and thus be assured of a clean desk-top under all circumstances. lith niy invention, therefore, a child who is particular about her clothes will not be annoyed by having herdress soiled from the desk which previously was occupied by the pupil who is slovenly about her appearance.

Another advantage of my invention is that the light color of the covers makes the schoolroom much lighter, because of the light reiiccted from them.

Still another advantage is that the cover makes a place between it and the desk-top 4 in which fiat papers, drawings, &c., may be kept in a clean and flat condition, thus increasing the capacity of the desk.

vhile l have herein illustrated one form in which my invention may be embodied, I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction illustrated, as various changes in such details may be made without departing from the invention'expressed in the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A desk-cover adapted to be removably applied to and to serve as a protecting-cover for the regular top of a desk, said cover comprising two parts hinged together, and means to detachably secure one of said parts to the top of the desk, said part covering the back side of the desk-top and the other part covering the frontportion of the desk-top and being free to be raised therefrom.

2. A desk-cover to be removably applied to and to serve as aprotecting-cover for the regular top of a desk, said cover being made of two pieces of cardboard hinged together, one of said pieces adapted to restiatly on and cover the back side of the desk-top, and the other piece adapted to rest atly on and be supported throughout its entire surface by the front portion of the desk-top, and means to detachably secure it to the first-named part of the desk.

3. A desk-cover having a washable surface and comprising two parts hinged together, one part adapted to cover the slanting portion of the desk-top and being free to be raised therefrom and the other part adapted to cover the horizontal portion of the desk-top, and means to detachably secure said latterpart vto the desk.

4. A desk-cover having a washable surface and comprising two parts hinged together, one part adapted to cover the slanting portion of the desk-top and being free to be raised therefrom, and the other part adapted to cover the horizontal portion of the desk and having an aperture coinciding with the usual ink-well, and means to detachably secure said latter part to the desk.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

KATHERINE R. MOULT ON.

Witnesses:

LoUIs C. SMITH, ABBIE J. BARRY. 

